Palm Beach County school board leaders upset with state Department of Education over budget proposal

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. -- District leaders with the Palm Beach County School Board say they're upset with the state department of education's recently released budget proposal.

In the budget, the state would allocate $64 million for capital improvements in charter schools.

Last year, charter schools received $55 million from the state, according to our news partners at the Palm Beach Post. Public school districts across the state, meanwhile, did not receive any funding for capital improvements.

If approved, our news partners report, this would be the third year in a row that the state has given capital outlay to charter schools and none to public school districts.

School board member Frank Barbieri told the Palm Beach Post, "the state Legislature is hell-bent on the privatization of education."

Charter schools are alternatives to public schools. They still get tax payer funding, but don't have to meet state requirements in several areas including curriculum and classroom sizes.

Those fighting for funding for charter schools argue that public schools can take advantage of property taxes to raise money for capital improvements, while charter schools can't.